this is the briefing. hello. i'm sally bundock. here are the headlines: 10 days since the alleged chemical weapons attack on douma, russia says international weapons inspectors will be allowed to visit the scene on wednesday. they helped rebuild britain, then faced deportation. widespread criticism of the treatment of immigrants known as the "windrush generation". and a taste for toxic waste: the discovery of an enzyme that breaks down plastic in hours boosts hopes for the environment. in business, the chinese dragon continues to roar: the world's second biggest economy grew by 6.8% in the first three months of the year. i'll be crossing live to shanghai to lift the lid on the seemingly unending chinese economic miracle and worries about its future debt levels. good to have you with us.

do stay with us on the programme, as we will be briefing you on all you need to know in global news, business and sport. also in business news, today, despite a price increase netflix beats market expectations again — its share price jumps by more than 8% as it announces its strongest subscriber growth since going public. are you a fan? what are you watching and why? send us your comments to #bbcthebriefing. we start with russia.

it says the site of a suspected chemical attack in syria can be inspected on wednesday. britain and america have accused moscow and damascus of delaying a team of international experts from entering douma. overnight, syrian state media was reporting that country's air defences shot down missiles fired over the city of homs. it's unclear who was behind the reported missile attack. the pentagon said there was no us military activity in the area. more now from lebo diseko. this is life in douma after months of bombardment. it is now the target of bombardment. it is now the target ofa of bombardment. it is now the target of a suspected chemical attack. these pictures show the aftermath of that incident, which the us and its allies blame on the syrian government. not so says the assad regime, saying that it is a cover—up for western military action that followed. syria has agreed to allow

international experts to the site —— access to the site at douma. western diplomats feared that by then, evidence could be tampered with. we are keen to make sure the inspectors have every means that they can to carry out theirjob and carry out their investigation as soon as possible. the missile strikes by america, britain, and france were necessary action, they say. carefully targeted at syahrin weapons facilities, and needed to send a clear message. britain's prime minister has faced tough questions around the legality of that action. she took it without consulting parliament. let me be absolutely clear: we have acted because it is in our national interest to do so. it is in our national interest to prevent the further use of chemical weapons in syria and to uphold the global

consensus that these weapons should not be used. on tuesday, mps will debate whether they should have to be consulted in future. it looks to be consulted in future. it looks to be another difficult day, with no easy and so is a head. lebo diseko, bbc news. —— no easy answers ahead. well as you heard mentioned in lebo's report, when international weapons inspectors arrive at the site on wednesday, it will be 11 days since the attack on douma. our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, is in damascus and says their visit cannot come soon enough. the site of the suspected chemical attack is just a short drive from where i am in the centre of damascus. the chemical inspectors have been waiting here since saturday for the syrians and the russians to make good on that promise, to give them unrestricted access. what we are hearing outside in european capitals is accusations that the syrians are blocking this visit. what we hear here in damascus is that the syrians are saying absolutely not, we have

to prepare the visit, that they've been meeting the chemical inspectors, that they need to prepare the ground when it comes to security. never mind that russian military experts were already on the scene. chemical inspectors themselves are saying absolutely not a word. they know how sensitive their mission is and they don't want to be saying anything in public. the last we heard from the russians is that the visit will go ahead on wednesday and it comes not a day too soon. we will keep you across that story as it progresses. let's brief you on some of the other stories making the news. ajudge in the us has rejected a request from donald trump's personal lawyer, michael cohen, to prevent federal prosecutors from reading files seized in fbi raids last week. he and lawyers representing the president had argued that the seizure infringed attorney—client privilege. the launch of nasa's tess planet—hunter has been postponed — and now won't lift off until wednesday at the earliest. it was due to set off

from cape canaveral in florida last night but was stood down three hours before lift—off. further checks are said to be needed on the rocket systems. the new york times and the new yorker magazine have won a pulitzer prize for their reporting on harvey weinstein‘s alleged sexual misconduct. dozens of women have come forward to accuse the hollywood mogul of assault and harassment. now, i have not spoken about the chinese economy in a while. china's economy grew 6.8% between january to march from a year earlier. china is the world's second largest economy but a reliance on borrowing has led to concerns about debt levels. the growth data also comes amid concerns about china's outlook for exports which has been clouded by rising tensions

with the united states, its largest trading partner. jonathan charles, director of communications at the european bank for reconstruction and development joins me now. good morning. very good to see you. good morning. very good to see you. good to see youtube. you have come back? at —— good to see you. good to see youtube. you have come back? at -- good to see you. there are always questions about the effectiveness of chinese data collection and what it shows. they're showing six and a half %. we used to say that anything below 7% was not good for the chinese economy, but i would say that 6.8%, there would be happy with. you could really see when i was in china that the economy is really growing. there isa the economy is really growing. there is a lot of economic competence. they seem to be resolving their issues. we know that high debt levels are an issue. we know that they are concerned about the export

of capital. you can now only send capital overseas if you want to use of investment. they tried to get their hands on some of the issues about the economy. i think the economy is becoming more efficient. so that all 7% that i think we to think was necessary, that is no longer necessary. 6.8% is good. would you argue that the president led by a xijinping is would you argue that the president led bya xijinping is managing would you argue that the president led by a xijinping is managing this change the chinese economy, that is one that has been moved to being fuelled more by domestic demand, rather than what it is selling overseas? there were a few beers 80 yea rs overseas? there were a few beers 80 years ago about that hard landing. overseas? there were a few beers 80 years ago about that hard landinglj think that they are making that change well. this is still a very export dependent economy. we are living in uncertain times of trade conflicts and potential trade conflicts. we don't know how this row with the united states will

u nfold row with the united states will unfold and how much worse it will get. i think we should be glad about these figures, but still cautious. thank you very much. and jonathan will be back for the news briefing. plenty of good stories to get our teeth into them. the british prime minister, theresa may, will meet leaders of caribbean countries today to discuss the threatened deportation of people who came to the uk as child migrants between the 1940s and 70s. yesterday, the government apologised and announced a new task force to help those who have been told they have to leave despite living and working in this country for decades. adina campbell reports. # london is the place for me... they were invited by the government to rebuild post—war britain 70 years ago, and marked the beginning of commonwealth immigration. but now, some of the children of the windrush generation have been detained and nearly deported for not having paperwork to prove their right to remain in the uk. children like painter and decorator anthony bryan, who came to britain from jamaica when he was eight years old. last year, he was held

in a detention centre twice, for nearly three weeks. it was a shock, because i've always thought that i was legal, i was british. i had been here since i was eight. i didn't give it another thought. i thought they were mixing me up. unfortunately they weren't mixing me up. it was me they were after, and it was me they were locking up. those who arrived before 1973 were legally entitled to remain in the uk. but the home office did not keep records, and changes to immigration rules, introduced six years ago when theresa may was the home secretary, have led to some of this group finding it difficult to prove their legal right to stay. after weeks of intensifying pressure to intervene, today the government apologised. i do not want any of the commonwealth citizens who are here legally to be impacted in the way they have,

and frankly, some of the way they have been treated has been wrong, has been appalling, and i am sorry. but there were heated words from all sides. can she tell the house how many have been detained as prisoners in their own country? can she tell the house how many have been denied health under the national health service, how many have denied pensions, how many have lost theirjob? this is a day of national shame! her response to this problem now is far too passive — just a task force that relies on the windrush generation raising their problems with her. that's not good enough. both sides of this house need to accept the need for a proper debate about immigration, an open and honest debate about immigration. and if we did that, we might come to the proper conclusion that it's notjust the windrush generation, but it's generations over centuries.

tomorrow the prime minister, theresa may, will hold a meeting with commonwealth leaders to discuss the issue. but i would like to see them start treating ourjamaican citizens like they are somebody, and not nobody. that's all. i'm not asking for much. because we deserve it. we've worked, we've built up this country, you know, and we'd like to see it build us up as well. you know what i mean? it works both ways. anthony bryan is still waiting for legal paperwork to confirm his right to stay in the uk. adina campbell, bbc news. stay with us on the briefing. also on the programme: as chemical weapons experts wait to see the site of a suspected attack in syria, we follow the cbs reporter who's on the ground. pol pot, one of the century's

greatest mass murderers, is reported to have died of natural causes. he and the khmer rouge movement he led were responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million cambodians. there have been violent protests in indonesia, where playboy has gone on sale for the first time. traditionalist muslim leaders have expressed disgust. the magazine's offices have been attacked and its editorial staff have gone into hiding. it was clear that paula's only contest was with the clock, and as for a sporting legacy, paula radcliffe's competitors will be chasing her new world—best time for years to come. quite quietly, but quicker and quicker, she is seenjust to slide away under the surface and disappear. you're watching the briefing.

0ur headlines: the british government has apologised and announced plans to help caribbean immigrants — known as the windrush generation — who had faced deportation. state television in syria says air defences have shot down missiles fired at an airbase near homs. chemical experts will be able to. all correspondence was taken to the area by syrian government forces. this was rebel territory until two days ago. today, we made it to the very house where the suspected chemical attack took place. translation: all of a sudden, some gas spread around us. we could not breathe. it's smelt like chlorine. syrian forces recaptured this area

from rebels over the weekend. that means they now control this building where this video was taken. and this is your brother here? this man's brother is seen in the activist video, lifeless and foaming at the mouth. he told us how his brother tried to wash off the chemicals. how did the chemicals get here? translation: the missile up there on the roof. we asked him to take us to where the missile allegedly hit. he took took us here and pointed here. we found a missile neatly resting. syria says there was no chemical attack. the us, france, and the uk, blames syria. since the coalition airstrikes, bashar al—assad's government has tried to show it was unaffected, today highlighting military gains. this is exactly what the government wants us to see, syrian forces here in douma and back in control.

rebels had run this damascus suburb since 2012. this was apparently a bomb—making factory for rebels here in the heart of douma. you can see the makings of mortars. and you can see this bin, homemade grenades. the human toll of the fighting was evident in the main square this afternoon. hundreds of thousands of civilians have been living here, many without food. you can see the desperation here, just hoping for some bread. we asked this mother of five why she did not leave if the fighting had been so bad. "we tried more than once," she told us, "but the rebels would not let us go." nine days have already passed

since the chemical attack. if weapons experts to make it to the building, they would find a scene that has been tampered with, and eyewitness accounts which can be confusing and contradictory. cbs news for bbc news, damascus. but there are ways of using plastic again. this plant in dagenham helps turn old plastic milk bottles into new ones. and now this lab at portsmouth university has gone much further, discovering how an enzyme can actually eat away the fabric of plastic itself. what is really special about this enzyme, it digests something man—made and most enzymes digest things like, maybe, grass stains or things like that, on clothing, but this material has only existed for the last 50 years, so to have an enzyme evolve that actually eats this man—made material, it is really stunning. what this research offers is a totally new way of dealing with plastic that goes into bottles like this. the enzyme has been discovered to have the ability to break down the plastic into its two key ingredients and that would make recycling far easier.

magnified 3000 times and speeded up over several days, these images captured the enzyme digesting the plastic. and the scientists have taken it's original structure and modified it to work even faster. biochemistry student harry austin and his colleagues have been cutting up samples of plastic bottles and then adding the enzyme to see its effect. they are delighted with the results. very exciting for us in the labs here. it is fantastic. and with our collaborators in america and brazil as well, fantastic move. sojubilant. we can actually see what it is capable of doing, in terms of the breaking down of the plastic itself. it is amazing. so will this help tackle plastic waste? tonight, for the one show, surfers against sewage collected all this from british beaches. the recycling industry likes the new enzyme but says it is not enough.

it does only focus on one type of plastic. there are many different types of plastic that are used in our packaging and in our products. retailers are working hard to try and reduce the numbers of different types of plastic that they use, but there is a long way to go. it took some very clever science to make plastic as long—lasting as it is. now, there is a new scientific effort to find ways of dismantling it and the latest research is just the start. david shukman, bbc news, in portsmouth. here's our briefing on some of the key events happening later. we begin in strasbourg where french president emmanuel macron will deliver a speech to the european parliament on his vision for the future of europe. then after that in london, cambridge analytica's former ceo alexander nix faces questions from british mps over work the organisation did on the 2016 us election and brexit campaigns. and later on, us president

donald trump will meet japanese prime minister shinzo abe to discuss the president's planned summit with north korean leader kim jong un. now it's time to get all the latest from the bbc sports centre. this is your tue sport briefing. coming up, novak djokovic puts injury worries behind him to fight —— win convincingly in monte carlo. and to surprise winners at a rain affected boston marathon. for other clu bs affected boston marathon. for other clubs other than that manchester city, it is the fight for champions league ‘s spots. tottenham's run

came to an end against city. it will boost their chances of playing with europe's elite. barcelona and i am munich. the washington wizards believe they have star and plenty of play—off pedigree. the wizards are down to the toronto raptors. game two tips off in toronto later. the shooting guard explains. winnie to get under the fence again. all teams able to score. it is extra —— exciting basketball. it is the first —— great first—round matchup. fantastic. after lengthy spells off

the court with injury, no one knew what to expect from djokovic in monte carlo. he raced through his first round match at the monte carlo masters. he lost just first round match at the monte carlo masters. he lostjust one game. west ham left it late to salvage the point at home to stoke. paul lambert‘s side who still lie second from the bottom of the table, took the lead. crouch is now stoke's top scorer in the premier league. two goals were disallowed. andy carroll's volley saved the day. stoke denied. desiree linden has

become the first american woman to win the boston marathon since 1985. the men's event was won by japan's yuki kawauchi. they both had to ensure that difficult conditions. this was the coldest start to 30 yea rs this was the coldest start to 30 years and there was plenty of wind and rain. desiree linden took the lead and kept it. finally, we end on a story generating huge debate on social media. a warning, some of you mightfind it social media. a warning, some of you might find it upsetting. this footage of the best performing in front of fans before a russian league match has emerged. the bear called tim will be used at the world cup opening ceremony and that is a claim that has been denied by fifa. animal rights groups say it is

shocking and inhumane. nevertheless, one of the most bizarre sights you will ever get at a football match. that is your tue sport briefing. stay with me on bbc news, i'll be back with the business briefing in just a few moments. 0ne one of ourtop one of our top stories is netflix. despite increasing its pricing and despite more competition, it seems to be beating expectations and the subscriber number is going up and up. are you watching and if so, why? we have two bang whose saying the movies and documentaries are amazing and the kids content saves us. —— tebang. it is a cornucopia of entertainment for when you have seen anything. the documentaries are terrific and the light entertainment nicely taking to burn out of the day. many of you are fans. stephen in south korea says the netflix original content is awesome. also,

it is nice to have access to my favourite shows from anywhere around the world. stay with us, we will discuss netflix in more detail in a moment. hello. from a few days from wednesday, it will feel like spring has sprung. a good deal of dry weather and some sunshine to talk about, strong sunshine, mind you. make sure you are fully prepared for that. we are not used to it, let's face it. these are some of the temperatures we are expecting on thursday. the highest ridges on thursday to stop parts of scotla nd ridges on thursday to stop parts of scotland and northern ireland getting close to 20 celsius. the play parts of england will pick into the mid— 20s. we are not there yet. although temperatures on the up through eastern parts of england during the day ahead, there is an eastern area of wet weather affecting northern and western parts

of the uk. these are the starting temperatures. nothing particularly cold. barrett is a blustery day across the uk as low pressure feeds in this weather front. —— varies at blustery day. this is where we are expecting things to be in the morning. southwest england may see a few spits and spot with outbreaks of rain pushing back into parts of wales and north—west england but it will feed away and move on through scotland. some of us getting onto a wet start. it is lost three, wendy and some gusts. —— windy. the weather front lives on through here living sunshine and a few showers. heavy and possibly thundery. a little bit for some part in the south—west. eastern counties of east anglia and the south—east holding on to the best of tuesday's sunshine. if we don't get to 20 celsius in the day ahead here, we will on

wednesday. some early showery rain affecting parts of england and northern ireland and scotland and then some sunshine coming out. the wind not quite so strong and temperatures are heading up more widely on wednesday with some spots reaching into the low 20s. it is getting warmer. the warmer areas coming in particularly on thursday. there will be some patchy cloud around parts of scotland, northern ireland, wales and western england and the best of the sunshine on thursday. you can clearly pick up the zone here. temperatures reaching into the mid— 20s. spring at last. hello. this is your business briefing. you're with me, sally bundock. the chinese dragon continues to roar: the world's second biggest economy grew by 6.8% in the first three months of the year. netflix binges on seven

million more subscribers, but with the likes of amazon and disney hot on its heels, does the streaming giant have what it takes to stay ahead of the pack? and on the markets, investors are focused on corporate earnings and the news from china — a mixed picture right now with the dollar at its lowest for two months against most other major currencies.